Improved switch for street-railroads



ZnUenZ-or)- THE GRAPHIC C UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

GILBERT L. BAILEY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

IMPROVED SWITCH FOR ST-REET-RAILROADS..

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 79,940, dated July 14, 1868.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GILBERT L. BAILEY, of Portland, in the county ot' Cumberland and State of Maine, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Switches for Horse-Railroads; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and'exact description of the same, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specication, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the forward part of a car-frame, with one wheel removed, and also one rail of the track, showing my invention. Fig. 2 isa plan view of the main and branch tracks, and Fig. 3 is a perspective View of one ci the levers used and one mode ot attachin g friction-rollers thereto.

The same figures and letters refer to like parts.

My invention has for its object to furnish a simple and convenient means by which a car can be guided in passing from the main to a branch track Wit-h the minimum of friction by the driver while standing in his place on the car.

It consists in the combination of frictionrollers with a lever or levers acting in conjunction with the car-Wheel and a guide-rail, said levers being suspended from the car-frame and operated by the foot ot' the driver or other person.

Its construction and operation are as follows:

9 represents the car-frame and 4 the carwheel. 5 and 6 are friction-rollers centered on a stud projecting downward from lever S.

rThis stud is supported at the lower end by the two rise or fall one or the other will slip through the loop freely.

B is a guide-rail, slightly elevated above and placed between the main rails near and opposite to the junction of` the outside branch rail with the main rail and nearly parallel with said branch rail, as shown in Fig. 2.

lfrom the main to the branch track.

Adovetail is made on the side next the wheel of the guide-rail, and friction-roller 6 is made with a corresponding bevel. The guide-rail Inay be cast with the frog or may be pnt down separately.

When not in use, levers 8 and 7 occupy nearly the position indicated by the dotted lines, bringing the rollers close under the axle 10 ot' the carwheels, and are held there by spring S, which is attached by one end to the bottom ofthe ear, thus avoiding obstacles that may be between the rails.

Its operation is as follows: As the car approaches the turn-out the driver presses with his foot upon the head of upright rod l1,whicl1 depresses levers 7 and 8, carrying the frictionroller 6 down to the web ofthe rail, and when the branch track is reached said roller enters between guide-rail B and the car-wheehas shown in Fig. l, rolling on the side of said guide-rail, while roller 5, which is a little larger in diameter, bears against and rolls upon the side ofthe car-wheel, thus crowding the `wheel When the foot of the driver is removed the levers return .by the operation of spring S to their former position.

Fig. 3 is a modilication of lever IS, in which the friction-rollers are placed side by side, and are made ot' equal size, the one next the guiderail being beveled,\as described, to prevent its riding over the rail.

The advantages of this switch lover others are its simplicity and cheapness, the small amount of friction attendant on its operation by the use ot' friction-rollers, the facility with which it can be applied, and the fact that no important change from an ordinary turn-out frog is necessary, no depressed or raised parts being required in the track. Lever 8 is bent near its lower end, in order that the rollers may act in a horizontal plane, or nearly so.

l do not claim adov'etailed or beveled guiderail, nor a beveled guide wheel or roller in themselves, for these have been used before; but,

Having described my invention, what I claim The constructionl and arrangement ot' the spring S, levers 7 andS, friction-rollers 5 and Y 6, and treadle 11, all substantially as and for the purposes described.

GILBERT L. BAILEY.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH W. AKERs, WM. H. BoWNE. 

